FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Apr. 9, 2016)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside baseball team salvaged a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader split on Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 in the opener before rebounding with a 5-1 victory over host University of Southern Indiana.
 
The Rangers (5-20, 1-9 GLVC) wasted little time getting on the board in game one with Troy Bittenbender leading off the bottom of the first inning with a double to right field. Bittenbender advanced to third on a flyout before scoring on a Zach Thompson sacrifice fly, giving the visitors the 1-0 edge.
 
The lead proved fleeting with the Screaming Eagles (17-12, 6-4 GLVC) manufacturing a run of their own in the second, collecting a single, a stolen base and another single to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Parkside threatened in the fourth inning, loading the bases but a strikeout and an infield pop fly allowed USI to escape the inning unscathed.
 
USI broke the deadlock in the eighth inning with a Ranger fielding error with two outs allowing the Screaming Eagles to score what proved to be the decisive run in the 2-1 defensive struggle.
 
Bittenbender paced the Rangers at the plate, finishing the opener two-for-five in a game the Green and White stranded nine runners on base.
 
Matt Skarzynski was hit with the loss, striking out one and allowing one hit and no earned runs in one inning of relief. Josh Serio handled the opening seven innings, fanning nine and allowing just one run. USI's Ben Blaize claimed the win, pitching two innings and striking out one while T.J. Decker tallied the save after a tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
 
The Rangers seized an early lead in game two, pushing across three runs in the opening frame. DJ Peltz provided the early damage, blasting a home run over the center field fence to score Thompson and Kyohei Makita for the early 3-0 edge.
 
Southern Indiana broke up the shutout in the sixth, bringing in a run on a groundout before the Rangers extended their lead with two more scores in the sixth en route to the 5-1 win.
 
Nick Janssen single up the middle to score Makita for the first run of the sixth before an infield hit from Kyle Schulz plated Jacob Pagan.
 
Makita led the Rangers with two hits along with scoring two runs as UW-Parkside owned a 7-4 advantage in hits.
 
Mario Samuel went the distance in game two, allowing just four hits and striking out three while USI's Lucas Barnett suffered the loss, fanning nine but allowing four earned runs.
 
The two teams finish off the series on Sunday with another twinbill beginning at 11 a.m.